NHTSA Orders National Takata Airbag Recall

Dec. 3, 2014—The U.S. Government has formally requested that Takata undertake a national recall of airbags that have injured dozens of people and killed at least four in the U.S.

The demand follows the Senate testimony by Stephanie Erdman, whose face was severely maimed in a 2013 accident. Erdman was injured when a car turned in front of hers and both vehicles collided. Shrapnel from her car's Takata airbag inflator shot through the airbag cloth and embedded in her face and neck.

Takata recall attorney Rob Ammons was with Erdman in Washington, D.C. for the testimony.

"On the day of the accident, my life changed forever," Erdman said in a release. "What should have been a moderate impact with a few bumps and bruises, instead, fractured and punctured my nasal bone, put me through multiple surgeries and therapy, permanently damaged to my vision and changed me forever."

Rob Ammons, who represents Erdman in the Takata Recall, has worked with numerous families who have suffered injuries or death as a result of faulty airbags.

"It's time the national government officially demanded a recall of these dangerous Takata air bags. Air bags are supposed to save our lives, not maim or blind us," Ammons said in a release. "There are millions of these deadly air bags on the road or in car lots that could potentially injure or kill someone you love. Dealerships should take aggressive steps to identify customers that have these faulty airbags and get them replaced."